Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is behind only Luka Doncic on this ranking

On the precipice of taking another leap, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has established himself as the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise and is among the game's top point guards. At 26 years old, he has much left to prove but is fast-tracking to check all the boxes required to construct a Hall of Fame resume.

One of those boxes can be checked at the end of the upcoming season, in which Shai can lift the Blue and Orange to the first NBA Finals appearance since 2012 and perhaps even capture the first title since moving to Bricktown in 2008.

Where SGA ranks on the PG ladder

The NBA is as saturated as ever with superstar talents at the point guard position. SGA has — and will continue to have — some stiff competition, with several household names fighting for the best point guard in the league throne.

Recently, CBS Sports compiled a list of the NBA's top 10 point guards, a list Shai has a case to be No. 1 on. But where did the experts rank the 26-year-old Thunder playmaker? He came in at No. 2 — behind Dallas Mavericks icon Luka Doncic.

"Nobody recorded more steals than Gilgeous-Alexander last year, and only two players recorded more deflections. After adding one of those two players ( Alex Caruso ) and a center who will both protect the rim and operate as an offensive hub ( Isaiah Hartenstein ) this offseason, Oklahoma City projects to have a historically great defense and a more diverse offense, making the task in front of its franchise player extremely clear: Lead the team to the place it hasn't been since 2012," wrote James Herbert.

Mutually-beneficial rivalry with Luka

Gilgeous-Alexander cleared a significant milestone last spring by leading the Thunder to their first postseason appearance since the 2019 season. His averages across the stat sheet were jaw-dropping:

• 30.1 points (No. 3 in the NBA)
• 6.2 assists (career-high)
• 5.5 rebounds
• 2.0 steals (tied for first in NBA with De'Aaron Fox) on 53.5% shooting from the field

The guard joined Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan as the only player ever to average over 30 points and fewer than 2.5 turnovers per game in a season.

As much as the NBA universe has come around on the Canadian star, many fans consider him a tick below Doncic for the best of the best. The Mavericks star is roughly seven months younger than SGA and has more All-Star and All-NBA nods to show for — not to mention No. 77 took his team to the NBA Finals last season, while SGA searches for his first appearance in the championship round.

Luka vs. Shai will be hotly debated for years to come, which is good as it will push both players to be the best they can be.

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